Forums » General Roleplay » A late Refuelling

AJ put her head on his shoulder, "I'm glad you like it. I made it from scratch. Sorta. I premake soup and stuff in pieces. I make huge pots of stock a couple of time a month. I like soup. It's good when I've got a sore jaw." She closed her eyes, just sitting there for now, taking in the feeling of how nice this was.

Roosevelt arched a brow but settled back and put his arm around her shoulders."It's been a long day, hasn't it? And soup is the perfect remedy for such a day."

He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, thankful for AJ's presence which seemed to have a calming effect, even as it stirred a surprising protective streak in him. He wondered briefly if he would willingly stare down the cold, unyielding barrel of a revolver to protect her. He shuddered at the thought; of course he would.

AJ smiled, "Sweetie, you better be prepared for a while lot of stupid and/or crazy. I do not have a rational mind. Did you forget the part where I put on a cape and chase after bad-guys. Thugs. People who snatch purses from old ladies. That one sounds most accurate." She laughed and leaned forward to get her soup, "But I am enjoying this downtime." Especially with you, she thought to herself, looking up into his eyes.

Roosevelt groaned. He had forgotten the whole caped crusader act. Although at the rate he was befriending crazy people, it was a wonder he wasn't already in an asylum.

"Hun, I'm surrounded by enough crazies that I don't think I'd know what to do with a sane person. I love you for all your wild antics."

He paused, realized what he said, and then flushed but he made no attempt to deny what he'd said.

AJ nearly choked on her soup. Her eyes widened. It wasn't that she didn't want to hear that. She had been musing that they were surprisingly close so quickly. It was more that she was surprised. A little bit horrified. She had a horrible time with relationships.

"That's cool." The words just slipped out, and there was no taking that back. She wasn't ready to say it back yet.

With the awkward moment in full swing, Roosevelt half prayed his phone might buzz--to no effect. He shrugged it off; he hadn't really meant love in that way; but it had slipped out all the same. Still...

"Well, anyway," he said and peered down at his empty bowl. "When do you think you'll be back to crime-fighting shape?"

"Three weeks or so." She smiled at him, "I'll be back at real work tomorrow. I can't take any more time off. Need any new shoes?" She teased, grabbing his bowl from him, standing to go the kitchen.

Roosevelt stood up and collected the bowls from her. "Allow me--you relax; and no. My shoes work well enough." They were well-worn sneakers that had tromped through all sorts of things; but they still had some use left in them.

"They still keep out water, unless I jump into a puddle." Roo added with a grin as he rinsed the dishes in the sink.

AJ hobbled behind him, wrapping her arms around him, pressing her face into his back. She smiled to herself, glad he was there, "So, um. About Cody. Do you think we should keep hiding it from him, or should we tell him? I'm not sure which is worse." Her voice was muffled and she didn't let go of him.

I wish I could tell him just how safe he makes me feel. I wish this moment could just last forever. I wish I were a normal girl.

It was an odd feeling, to be hugged from behind. But one that made Roo smile. Until the mention of Cody came up.

"Oh, God, no." He replied. "What am I going to say? That I'm dating a prior hostage of his? That he should let me have personal time off to pursue other interests? That-" He cut himself off and looked down.

Softly he said, "He'll find out soon enough; and there'll be hell to pay. He's only laying low right now because of the police involvement. But he'll be on the move again. Soon." He turned to face AJ and put his hands on her shoulders, peering intently into her face. "I...I've never had a girlfriend before. But if I did...if I could..."

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he jumped with a muttered oath.

"Oh. Right." She stepped away, "I'll go in my room so you can take this." She didn't let her face fall, instead tried to brush off the hurt. Of course he was going to go with Cody and do... whatever it was they did. She couldn't join up with them. She couldn't even allow herself to ignore it. She knew she'd do the "right thing" - even if it wasn't right for him.

She hobbled off to her room, wondering if now was the time to cut it off, or if she should squeeze every last moment of togetherness out of him.

Roosevelt looked down at his phone and at the unrecognized number flashing across it. He knew who was calling and why. But he had nothing new to report. He should let it go. Let Cody leave a message; but he knew better.

He flipped the phone open to accept the call once AJ had left the room. Whether she stayed to eavesdrop or not was up to her. "Yeah?" Pause. "I have nothing new to report. There was an incident, yes, but it's been handled..." He winced and sighed as the voice yelled at him. "I'll be in touch." He clicked the phone off and ran a hand through his short hair.

If only he wasn't reliant on Cody or the Resistance for anything. If he could just start his life and make something of himself, then he could settle down and do what he wanted. And right now, AJ was looking like something he wanted to pursue.

"AJ?" he called, coming out of the kitchen to look for her. "I have a question..."

AJ came out, brushing her hair. She didn't know what else to do, other than just chill on her bed. She smiled, "The answer is forty-two." She leaned up against the counter, carefully balancing herself, "Or perhaps there is a second answer to this question." She wondered what was broken or gross in her kitchen, and found herself realizing he hadn't really questioned her taste in... tidying. There was never any mould around, but always a heap of laundry to be folded, dishes to be put away. Groceries that never left the kitchen floor.

She smiled at him, feeling better as she brushed her short hair, realizing it was a futile effort to keep her hands occupied.

He grinned ruefully at her answer. "I wish it was forty-two. But uh...actually it's more than one question. One is, um, would you mind if I stuck around for a bit? Second, do you know of any place that's hiring? Third, how are you with, ah, confronting your fears?"

She laughed, "You take your time. My couch never really sees this much action unless there is a Steven Segal marathon on. Not that I like that crap, or anything, just saying if I liked him and there was a marathon on..." She knit her brow, "Well, Mickey-d's is always hiring. Uh, contruction places are usually hiring, the hospital is totally looking for house-keepers - good money in that! Uh, check the paper if you wanna know." It was slowly dawning on her while she spoke, but she didn't say anything yet.

"I'm not exactly a pants-wetter, unless you're talking about jumping off of a roof, because I've done that and still peed myself. not that you needed that TMI... I'm pretty good about being fairly good about meeting scary things head on. Why do you ask?"

Roosevelt brightened at the career opportunities. "I might avoid construction for a while...but the housekeeper thing could work..." He did like helping people, after all.

"As for why do I ask; there's a pretty good possibility Cody might try to hunt me down. I don't know how he's going to react to my, ah, resignation--if he'll even take it--so I just thought I'd er warn you." His brow furrowed, worry replacing his earlier mood.

"Resignation? Why would you resign? I thought you liked working with Cody?" Concern filled her voice and she looked at him like he might have snapped. She wrapped her arms around him, "If you're doing something like that just for me, forget it. You can't just give up your closest friend for a stupid girl."

Roosevelt snorted and rejoined AJ on the couch. "Like working for him? No one likes working for him. They put up with it because he gets results. He's a good friend and a good leader, but God forbid you get on his bad side...." He trailed off and shook his head.

"I'm not doing it solely for you," he added carefully. "So don't blame yourself for anything that happens. Rather, you're probably just the turning point I need in my life to get me out of this whole mess. After all, I can't be living forever as a wanted terrorist, right?" His attempt at a joke might have been funnier if it wasn't true.

AJ took his face into her hands, giving him a small kiss on the mouth, "I support what ever you choose to do. Even if you go back to work for him, I'll still support you, even if I have to come after you." She stroked his cheek softly, "Do you want to call him now, or later? What's your plan?"

Surprised by the kiss, Roosevelt lost track of what he'd been about to say. He smiled and leaned into her hands.

"Honestly? I wasn't really planning to do anything. But I guess if the alternative is making him hunt me down...there will be problems." And probably a body count.

He sighed and cupped his hands around hers, as he looked up to meet her eyes. "I think I'll arrange a meeting to tell him of my intentions. You're welcome to lurk if you'd like--I'm not sure how things will turn out between us, er, Cody and I." lt'd also be nice to know he had at least one friend who had his back. Still, it was clear he was worried.